"Mandingo"... Whoa. What did I just watch?! (First-Time Reaction!)

Okay, so I'm doing my classic movie deep dive and tonight I watched "Mandingo" (1975)... and I'm honestly kinda speechless. I went in knowing basically nothing except the title sounded… intense. And yeah, it was. That whole opening scene at the slave auction? Brutal. I mean, I knew going in it was gonna be about slavery but seeing it like that… damn. Hammond Maxwell is one messed up dude, right? Like, marrying your cousin Blanche (eww) because your dad wants grandkids is already weird. But then buying Mandingo as, like, your personal gladiator/sex slave? That's next-level messed up. Honestly, the whole movie felt like it was trying to be shocking at every turn. I'm not usually one to shy away from heavy subjects, but it felt… I don't know, exploitative sometimes? And the ending? Holy crap. I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but… wow. Just… wow. I'm still processing. So, for those who HAVE seen it - what did you think? Did it feel like it was trying to say something important about the history of the time, or was it just trying to get a reaction? I'm genuinely curious because my feelings are all over the place right now. Was it trying to be accurate or just exploitative? So confused! Also, I know this is super random, but did anyone else think Ken Norton (Mede) was incredibly charismatic, even if he had limited screentime? Despite the horrible circumstances, he had such a presence. I found myself rooting for him even though I knew things weren't going to end well. He deserves so much better than whatever he's been given. Anyways, thanks for reading me ramble. Think I need to go watch something light and fluffy now to cleanse my palate.